Supreme Court rejects former Alabama governor's appeal

A view of the U.S. Supreme Court building is seen in Washington, October 13, 2015.
REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

WASHINGTON The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman's appeal arising from his bribery conviction involving a $500,000 donation from a healthcare executive in a prosecution the Democrat contended was politically motivated.

The former governor had challenged his 6-1/2 year sentence in the case, saying it was based on conduct for which he was not found guilty. He is serving time in a federal prison in Louisiana and is scheduled for release in 2017.

Siegelman was convicted in 2006 of conspiracy, bribery, mail fraud and obstruction of justice in connection with his role in what prosecutors depicted as a bribery arrangement involving $500,000 provided for Siegelman's unsuccessful campaign to persuade Alabama voters to create a state lottery.

Richard Scrushy, HealthSouth Corp's founder and former chief executive, was convicted of bribery for giving the $500,000 in exchange for a seat on a state hospital regulatory board.

Siegelman, 69, served from 1999 to 2003 as Alabama's governor. Siegelman and his backers contend that he was the target of a politically motivated prosecution spearheaded by Republicans.

The former governor asserted that his trial was marred by the involvement of a federal prosecutor whose husband was involved in Republican politics. The prosecutor later recused herself from the case.

(Reporting by Lawrence Hurley and Will Dunham; Editing by Will Dunham)

Next In Politics

President-elect Donald Trump said on Friday he would name Andrew Liveris, chairman and chief executive of Dow Chemical Co, to head the Manufacturing Council, a private sector group that advises the U.S. secretary of commerce.

WASHINGTON President-elect Donald Trump is stacking his trade transition team with veterans of the U.S. steel industry's battles with China, signaling a potentially more aggressive approach to U.S. complaints of unfair Chinese subsidies for its exports and barriers to imports.

WASHINGTON President-elect Donald Trump's Energy Department transition team sent the agency a memo this week asking for the names of people who have worked on climate change and the professional society memberships of lab workers, alarming employees and advisors.

Reuters is the news and media division of Thomson Reuters. Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Learn more about Thomson Reuters products: